Just finished -two- fixie projects

flickerx

Typical - you wait for ages and then two come along at once

Been working on both of these for a while now, especially the Dawes one. They'll both be for sale soon via adverts.ie or gumtree, still need one or two small little adjustments and tuning up, but I was so happy to finish them both over the last couple of days that I had to share it with someone now. Big thanks to unionman for the free brake lever and verb for getting the crank for me from the usa.

Here's pix of them, first one is a nice dawes burnt red/brown and silver conversion, second one is a peugeot with the old paint stripped down and resprayed in dark/royal blue (Pocahontas comes with the bike ). I'll be putting up the full specs soon...

Gavin

More than welcome ! I like the look of the Peugeot. how much will you be hoping to get for em ?

Gav

flickerx

Verb wrote: »

More than welcome ! I like the look of the Peugeot. how much will you be hoping to get for em ?

Well, if I was charging on the basis of the amount of time/labour spent on them , I'd be hoping for around 5,000 euro each (maybe discounting to 9,500 euro if someone wanted to buy the two of them together).

blorg

What size are they out of interest? Do you have a second dummy lever on the Peugeot or is the front just on the wrong/Continental side?

And only a rear brake on the Dawes? Bit of a strange choice, no?

Raam

Nice! Who's yer one in the wheel?

Itsfixed

Well done flickerx

You've obviously caught the fixie-building bug. Great example of recycling in its purest form, particularly re-using old stems and stuff.

I've recently built up a nice old mercian frame as a geared bike but because it has horizontal dropouts, I'm tempted to change the whole thing to a fixie, just for the craic.

Mr. Grieves

blorg wrote: »

And only a rear brake on the Dawes? Bit of a strange choice, no?

Yeah, what's up with that?

kenmc

where did you get the hubs / wheels? Still kind of toying with making my old maclean into a single speed - not a fixed most likely though. Will probably make it a flat bar'd beast (cos I need new bars , and I have flat bars lying around) with the help of one of these: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=6254

flickerx

blorg wrote: »

What size are they out of interest? Do you have a second dummy lever on the Peugeot or is the front just on the wrong/Continental side?

And only a rear brake on the Dawes? Bit of a strange choice, no?

I'll put up the frame sizes when they're for sale. There's a second lever on the peugeot with brake cable housing still in place, on the right, for a rear brake if someone wanted to put one on. The front brake lever is on the left, so yes afaik this is the way they do it in france.

The rear brake is on the Dawes just because I had a very nice campagnolo veloce caliper brake which didnt fit another fixie, but it only fit the rear brake arch (or whatever that little piece of metal is called) on the dawes, and didnt fit the front forks. I seen a few people riding with the rear rather than the front brake alone on fixies lately, including an italian friend of mine... not sure what the benefit is, maybe if you're getting used to it, you wont feel like you'll glo flying over the handlebars...?

flickerx

Raam wrote: »

Nice! Who's yer one in the wheel?

Pocahontas

flickerx

flickerx wrote: »

Pocahontas

Actually maybe its the girl from Mulan

flickerx

kenmc wrote: »

where did you get the hubs / wheels?

eBay, from private sellers mostly. same as any frames i've bought, which i think i've posted up about before. roberto mediero was one i think i got some wheels from before, i think his username on ebay is robertociclismo... he sells a lot of track stuff. wheelandsprocket are the best for cranks, and then just a few places in the UK for stuff like the chains, sprockets, brakes; and then just cycleways for stuff like brake cables, tyres, etc. and unionman for a brake lever

flickerx

Well, here's the Dawes for sale, with the specs, if anyone here is interested:

http://adverts.ie/59130

I'll put the parts for sale/for trade up tonight.
Have a set of mavic track wheels, a truvativ elita crank, a 52t chainring with bolts, the other campagnolo veloce brake, a couple of bottom brackets, one or two other bits and pieces...

unionman

Hey flickerx, well done, two beauties. :cool::cool:

Nice attention to detail too. Glad the brake stuff has been put to good use. Not in the market myself but I expect you'll find a buyer handy enough.

Well done, very impressive.

flickerx

unionman wrote: »

Hey flickerx, well done, two beauties. :cool::cool:

Nice attention to detail too. Glad the brake stuff has been put to good use. Not in the market myself but I expect you'll find a buyer handy enough.

Well done, very impressive.

Thanks for that (both the praise and the lever) - appreciate it...
but nobody is biting yet. Might have to drop the price. Or eBay it.

Anyone got any other suggestions on where I could advertise the bike? I only have it up on adverts.ie and gumtree.ie.

Raam

flickerx wrote: »

Thanks for that (both the praise and the lever) - appreciate it...
but nobody is biting yet. Might have to drop the price. Or eBay it.

Anyone got any other suggestions on where I could advertise the bike? I only have it up on adverts.ie and gumtree.ie.

Ebay? Buy and Sell?

blorg

Ebay is an option but realistically there to sell your market will be the UK where you will have both competition and expensive shipping to get it over. But have a look at the eBay advanced search- you can search for completed auctions and get an idea of what similar bikes have actually sold for (rather than what people are asking for them, which is a very different thing.) Just had a quick look and can only find one, but it is a decent looking conversion that went for £155 (€195.)

I'm sorry to say it, but in my view you have overpriced; I know you put a lot of effort into these but at the end of the day I don't think you will tend to make money on fixie conversions, you need to be doing it for the fun, learning, experience, etc. Ultimately, despite the bike being unique, etc. etc. I don't think you will get more than a "modern" fixie like a Langster. You can add on the "Ireland premium" onto the eBay ballpark above but ultimately you may be looking at around half what you are currently pricing at (I asked about the size as I would be interested myself, but not at those prices!)

blorg

Here's a link that gives you a fair few more prices (you will have to be logged in to eBay to view these.) Green means it sold at that price, red means it didn't (either no bids or reserve not met.)

A nice Carlton conversion that went for £132 (€167.)

paddyb

you can get one of these for the price that you are looking for.

Gavin

Gotta agree with Blorg, the price is probably too high. Anyone interested in a fixie will probably either buy a new model, paddywagon, langster, plug, etc, build their own or pick up a cheapo second hand one.

I showed yours to a friend and he would have been interested for around 350 or so. Went and bought a charge plug though.

Good luck with it.

penexpers

In all fairness, the bike is much better specced than the Paddy Wagon and Langster.

flickerx

Hmmm. Might have to drop the price alright. Paddyb that bike is in sterling, not euro. I think the parts are much better than the langster (one of which i have) but I guess people prefer to buy a new bike these days...

If I drop it much more though, I'd seriously be looking at a loss/break even, with the parts and tools I had to buy for it...

disneyonfire

What size is the Peugeot? Is it also a flip flop hub?

bunnygreen

Hey,is the peugot for sale yet.

flickerx

The peugeot is a larger frame, maybe 58cm or 60cm, but to be honest I am unsure about how to measure frame dimensions. Its not a flip-flop. Its nearly ready, just needs one little small bit of work, I've just been very busy and havent had a chance to get to the hardware shop, I'll have it up for sale during the week.

disneyonfire

Any idea how much you'll be asking for it?

flickerx

disneyonfire wrote: »

Any idea how much you'll be asking for it?

I'd be hoping to get around the same as whatever comes in for the Dawes, whatever that may be in the end...

flickerx

OK the Peugeot is ready. Asking price is 450, offers welcome. For some infuriating reason it wont let me upload my images to adverts.ie (http://adverts.ie/59879) this morning, even though the images are the same size as the ones for the Dawes ad, so if its ok with the mods I'm going to post them here so adverts.ie potential buyers can at least see what it looks like.












Peugeot Carbolite road bike converted into fixed gear bicycle for sale, as typically ridden by bicycle couriers. Recently completed project by independent & experienced bicycle builder in centre of Dublin. Full specifications below. Will appeal to cyclist looking for something new and different.

Peugeot Carbolite 103 58cm frame, resprayed in royal blue
Bitex front hub (quick release), Ambrosio rim
Campagnolo Record rear hub (quick release), Ambrosio rim
Drivetrain setup:
175mm fixed crank
52t 3/32" silver chainring
18t 1/8" fixed sprocket
Brand new 1/8" KMC fixed/ss chain
Nice leather 1980s Fausto Coppi saddle
Hsinlung handlebars

flickerx

Verb wrote: »

I showed yours to a friend and he would have been interested for around 350 or so. Went and bought a charge plug though.

Dropped the price down to 400 on it so we'll see if anyone bites...

flickerx

Hmmm. Maybe this hobby of mine is starting to verge on the obsessional / eccentric / insane side... is it just me in this city or is anyone else addicted to building these bikes? Here's another one I've been working on, needs sprocket+lockring, chain, brake cable, maybe a new lever, and some other bits... but should be ready to go in the next fortnight or so... what do people think of it? I like the handlebars, and the white frame is quite striking...

Gavin

I like that one. Where do you find the frames ?

Gav

Ghost Rider

Very cool.

flickerx wrote: »

Hmmm. Maybe this hobby of mine is starting to verge on the obsessional / eccentric / insane side... is it just me in this city or is anyone else addicted to building these bikes? Here's another one I've been working on, needs sprocket+lockring, chain, brake cable, maybe a new lever, and some other bits... but should be ready to go in the next fortnight or so... what do people think of it? I like the handlebars, and the white frame is quite striking...

unionman

She's a beauty. You are clearly addicted.

I can think of worse things to be addicted to!

blorg

Looks good. Spokes look nice, are they bladed? Mavic CXP 10 wheels? I think I spy one too many chainrings though ;-)

Gavin

Hey flickerx,

You want to make money out of this, you should go for the big time. Mass produce a barebones singlespeed/fixie. I reckon a sweet spot price would be around 300 euro. Something like this guy

http://www.osobike.com/

or the bikesdirect the hour
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/thehour.htm

Trick I guess would be to find a supplier of decent, cheap frames & forks. Anywhere in Ireland actually make bike frames ? The other bits could possibly be bought in bulk over the internet.

flickerx

I dont know about doing it full time with those kind of bikes - doesnt seem to be much of a market for them going on the lack of interest in the two I already have for sale.

I get my frames off eBay cheap (for the others I built including my own one), but the white one was an abandoned stray dumped on a street around the corner from where I live. I brought it home, took all the dirty and damaged parts off it, scraped the stickers and glue off it, cleaned it with solutions and wiped it off to prep it for spraying (I was looking at it again tonight, the white frame is great, I'm tempted to respray my own mustard coloured self-build!), then started taking other parts i have to build it up (wheels, handlebars, brake cable, new nuts and washers everywhere, etc). The crank bolt in the bb looks a bit rusted, and the crank is one of those all in one jobs with the chainrings so there's no simple removal. I'm loathe to start pushing and grinding with the crank removal tool after a disastrous attempt on another road bike in a similar state about a year and a half ago. The teeth on the chainring are ok and the bb seems solid and fluid (ok contradiction but you know what I mean!) so I think I'll leave it as is. The chainline will be running off the smaller ring I guess so I'll probably put a 13 or 14t sprocket on it so the gear ratio will be alright.

blorg

flickerx- there is a market but just not at the prices you are looking for, e.g. I don't think there is much of a market for the once-off renovation done by hand- you are unlikely to make it worthwhile (I do recall a small English company that had this "recycled bikes" as their thing, but they were selling a fair bit cheaper than you IIRC.)

flickerx

But its actually relatively expensive to build fixies in Ireland because you have to get the parts sent from eng-ger-land or the USA, thats the crunch

Nothing much gets manufactured in Ireland any more, never mind cheap but reasonably professional bike frames - all we have is service industries (insurance and the like) and call centres. Its insane - I know a lad from italy, taking calls from italy, speaking in italian and working with other italians - all in a call centre in sandyford.

Raam

flickerx wrote: »

But its actually relatively expensive to build fixies in Ireland because you have to get the parts sent from eng-ger-land or the USA, thats the crunch

Nothing much gets manufactured in Ireland any more, never mind cheap but reasonably professional bike frames - all we have is service industries (insurance and the like) and call centres. Its insane - I know a lad from italy, taking calls from italy, speaking in italian and working with other italians - all in a call centre in sandyford.

Now that's a rant! I'd almost buy one of your bikes just for that

flickerx

Raam wrote: »

Now that's a rant! I'd almost buy one of your bikes just for that

I'll rant some more for you if it leads to a sale

TinyExplosions

flickerx wrote: »

I'll rant some more for you if it leads to a sale

I reckon I'd pay 300 quid or so for a nice reclaimed fixie -in fact I rather do that than get a new one, as a bit of history goes a long way for me, but more than that is probably pushing it

I know it's getting a little off topic, but have you considered tryin to set yourself up as an importer of the bit and bobs you need? Dunno how much it would cost, but imagine if you were the go to guy for all fixie bits in Ireland -all you need is a website, and I reckon you'd get a fair few orders in...

flickerx

TinyExplosions wrote: »

I reckon I'd pay 300 quid or so for a nice reclaimed fixie -in fact I rather do that than get a new one, as a bit of history goes a long way for me, but more than that is probably pushing it

Well then, (and apologies in advance for the shameless marketing of my own gear) here's your chance.
The Dawes and the Peugeot are both up on eBay.ie with no reserve on them.

I know it's getting a little off topic, but have you considered tryin to set yourself up as an importer of the bit and bobs you need? Dunno how much it would cost, but imagine if you were the go to guy for all fixie bits in Ireland -all you need is a website, and I reckon you'd get a fair few orders in...

Nah, I've no head for business and money, wouldnt even know where to begin. And as I said, I dont think there's much of a market for it here either. Not yet anyway.

blorg

flickerx- is it possible to come out to have a look at the bikes before the auctions end?

flickerx

Yeah I guess so, but it'd have to be an evening next week, tomorrow night I've got a stag night on (christ) and then the wedding at the weekend.

I live in the north inner city. PM me.

flickerx

flickerx wrote: »

Well then, (and apologies in advance for the shameless marketing of my own gear) here's your chance.
The Dawes and the Peugeot are both up on eBay.ie with no reserve on them.

I'm a bit... worried about the current prices/bids on the bikes.
I'm not really experienced with selling stuff on eBay. Anyone got any tips or tricks for maximising exposure on the bikes?
I put a link from each one on to the other, cant think of anything else that might get more people looking at them though.

blorg

The price you get tends to be determined at the very very end of the auction- it will probably jump up a fair bit at that point. People don't bid until 15 seconds before the end- if they have any sense. You are currently well above what might be expected for five days out, I wouldn't worry about it. I have watched stuff that was at 0 bids or 10p until 15 seconds before, went for over £90 in the end!

DirkVoodoo

I was very interested in your bikes, I think the frames on offer originally were too big for me, i went for a felt singlespeed instead, but would have prefered to give the money to a hard working boardsie.

I think there is definitely a market there, with the upsurge in bikes already on the way I sometimes feel like singlespeed/fixies are the apple of bikes. That is, people who dont have a fanatic love of bikes tend to like buying more into the culture and image of beanie hats and courier bags. I love the look of a steel framed fixie, very pure and simple.

flickerx

Auction on them both ends tonight... well, tomorrow morning,

Good luck to anyone from here bidding on them. I'll have another couple ready soon enough if you miss out.

stuf

Good luck with the auction.

Couple of questions for my own project as I'm a day away from getting a frame - maybe.

Where did you source the cranksets for your bikes and what model are they?
Did you build your own wheels or get them built with supplied hubs?
What rear hubs are you using?

Cheers

stuf

to answer some of my own questions I've just found your recommendation of ebay shop "wheelandsprocket" on another thread.

I think I might be spending a few cents there in the coming weeks

Gavin

watch out for tax. Which reminds me, I have bad news for Gadabout and flickerx. Watch out for PMs coming soon !